Evading the Truth
by Wildestdreams1972
Summary: When Sam and Zion's past returns with a vengeance, they work to protect the team from their worst nightmares. Except no one, and nothing, is safe or sacred where blood is shed. When an old friend returns, Sam and Zion learn that this game they're playing is bigger than anything they've ever seen.
1. Chapter 1

Zion leaned against a cold locker, studying the man stood across from her. Restlessly, he paced, running worn hands through his short hair. She rolled her eyes at the expression of energy.

"He knows I left?" Sam Braddock questioned, anxiety lacing his tone. She bit her lip and nodded.

"Look, what does it matter?" She argued, pushing away from the chilly metal.

"What does it matter? It's my life they're playing with," he responded.

"They're screwing with my life too," the woman reminded him, scowling.

He acquiesced to that fact.

"Okay, look. Let's keep this on the DL, especially from the team. We can't have anyone knowing," he informed her.

She relented, though she was loathe to hide something so important from people who meant so much.

"There's a helluva lot I'm willing to risk in this game of cat-and-mouse, but not them. Never them," these words were murmured, though they still held a potent combination of vulnerability and emotion. Sam nodded in agreement.

Wordy set a hand on the locker room door and pushed it open, stepping a few inches away from the doorway when he heard the hushed conversation. Curious, he paused, listening shamelessly. When the conversation ended, he was left with more questions then answers, especially because it involved hiding something from the close-knit team.

Wordy exited silently, and hunted for Ed, finding him in the briefing room.

"Ed, we gotta talk," he told the older man seriously. Ed nodded, eyes studying him.

Wordy sat down and relayed the conversation, adding in his concerns. Ed took in this all in, mind whirring. Why would they hide something from everyone else?

"Possibly, it's about something relating to the military," Ed inferred. Wordy weaved a pen between his fingers, bewildered and a little bit hurt, not that he'd ever admit it.

As if called, the pair entered the room, happy laughter and easy banter traded between them. Same as normal.

The tension in the room was palpable, though, and they were not immune. Both halted, observing the two men sitting at the table.

"Is there anything you'd like to share with us?" Ed inquired, folding his hands. They shared a glance, before denying it.

"Nope," Sam responded. Zion shook her head.

Two facts were obvious, even to casual passerby: one, two camps had been formed. Team Zion, intent on keeping their secret, if only to protect everyone else, and Team Wordy, intent on discovering the truth, disallowing secrets to be held. Two camps, two opposite agendas.

What could possibly go wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

Greg Parker entered the briefing room, coffee clutched in one hand and a stack of papers tucked under the opposite arm. He was surprised to see four team members already there, spilt into two pairs. Wordy and Ed, and Sam and Zion. Tension seemed to be thick in the air, though he couldn't be sure of its origin. Everything had seemed fine last night.

Sam and Zion slid into seats, with Spike coming in soon after. Jules rushed in a few minutes later, grabbing a seat hurriedly.

"Alright team, let's discuss the call yesterday," Greg began, passing out files. Each person flipped theirs open and began studying, pointing out weak spots, and discussing strengths. This went on for roughly 20 minutes, before that familiar alarm sounded.

As one, they rose from the table and made a beeline for the door. They departed from the room, darting off to their respective locker rooms, men and women. Winnie spouted off the pertinent information, while the team dressed and packed, each praying this call would turn out okay.

Hours later, they returned, exhausted but satisfied. The call had gone well, with the hostage-taker being successfully convinced to relinquish his weapons and allow the team to help him.

Three hours later, shift ended, with Zion and Sam making a hasty exit. Wordlessly, Wordy and Ed observed their departure, curiosity and worry bubbling up inside them.

*Two hours later, Zion's apartment*

Zion giggled at the comedy movie, and took a sip of her soda. Unexpectedly, someone knocked on the door, fist rapping expectantly. She frowned and got up, moving towards the door cautiously.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"It's me Miss Adamson."

Zion sighed at the familiar voice.

"Shit."

*The next day*

Sam sat in the briefing room, considering all that had happened the day before, when Zion burst in the room.

"Master Corporal Braddock, cleanup on aisle two," she began. _Number_ _two_ _has_ _come_ _back_ _to_ _haunt_ _us_. Sam recoiled at the use of their code, disbelief widening his ocean-colored eyes.

"Really," he began, deadpan. Another code. _Are you sure._

"Yes, and this one has personal effects," she continued. _He was at my home._

Sam nodded, still bewildered by the audacity.

"When?" He inquired.

"Last night, time of the moon," she muttered. _At sunset_ , he heard.

The room grew silent as the two people considered the events that happened, and every possible outcome. They only knew one thing for certain though: the team must never know.

Ed sipped at a large cup of coffee, savoring each decadent sip. He glanced around the spacious room, and decided to head to the workout room.

"Ed!" Joe Buck boomed. Automatically, Ed turned around, surprise to see someone from the terrorist unit on the SRU floor.

"What's up?" Ed inquired.

"Can we talk? Privately?" Joe requested, a serious look on his time-worn face.

"Sure thing," Ed told him agreeably.

They crossed the busy room towards the briefing room, where Sam and Zion sat, discussing something. Zion appeared anxious, while Sam nearly vibrated with restless energy.

Ed shook his head and led the older man to a different conference room, closing the door noiselessly.

"What's this about?" He inquired.

Joe sighed.

"We've been tracking the movements of a man named Esmail Abujamal, believed to be a high ranking member of Al Qaeda. He's been based mainly in Afghanistan, primarily Kandahar," Joe shuffled through the file, producing a photo, which he then showed to Ed.

"We're not sure why he's in Canada, but we think we may know one of the reasons," Joe slid out a second photo. It showed Zion and Esmail standing in her apartment. She appeared to be extremely uncomfortable, while he radiated confidence and power.

"Now how the hell does someone like her get mixed up with someone like him?" Joe asked rhetorically.

Ed shook his head.

"I don't know, but I _will_ find out," Ed promised.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Another new chapter! Please keep reviewing, following, and favoriting! Thanks for reading!

Zion spoke, cutting the silence of the room in half.

"They have videos of me, pictures of me, in….compromising positions," she revealed to Sam. "Things I was forced to do on the mission seven years ago."

She had never revealed to another the things she'd done, the ways she'd allowed herself to be used. Even after seven years, it still haunted her.

Sam looked upon his companion with a gaze of sympathy. It wasn't uncommon for women to be asked to use their…..assets to lure in subjects. Didn't mean they liked it.

"That's not all. They also have documents of a similar sort on our team members, you, Spike, Jules, Wordy. They'll also release those to the public I don't cooperate or tell anyone. Do you see? We can't let anyone know," she finished.

"We might not have a choice," Sam told her, as Ed approached the briefing room.

Ed crossed the threshold of the briefing room, and sat across from Sam and Zion. He opened a file and pulled out the incriminating photos shown to him by Joe Buck. In unison, they sat up straighter, on the defensive and wary of the angered look on Ed's face.

"Care to explain?" Ed asked, in a controlled tone.

Zion glanced at Sam, then studied the photographs closely. She emitted a near-noiseless gasp at seeing the meeting last night displayed in pictures.

Ed witnessed the exact moment she decided to lie. It wasn't visible to anyone who didn't know her, but to all those did, it may as well have been splashed across a billboard. A hard look entered green eyes, a setting of the shoulders, a toss of the hair.

"No," she responded in a icy tone.

"I'm having a hard time convincing the terrorist unit you're not colluding with known terrorists. Now, we're gonna find out the truth, whether or not you verbally tell us. But, unless you'd like to keep your job with the SRU, I'd suggest you tell us what you know," Ed leaned back and settled into his chair. He studied the woman sat across from him, and prayed she'd make the right decision.

"I can't," she finally muttered.

"Can't or won't?" He asked her.

"Both. The things they know about us…me, you, Spike….everyone. SRU's reputation will be ruined," her voice dropped a couple notches, eyes darting around the room.

"I'm doing this to protect you, protect the team. You have no clue what you'd be up against, getting involved with this. Please, let it go and forget this ever happened," Zion pleaded.

Ed shook his shiny head.

"You know I can't do that."

With that, he left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

"She's hiding something," Ed murmured to Greg, who nodded in agreement.

"She thinks she's protecting us," Greg told Ed, observing the two people sat in the briefing room.

Spike approached them then, ever-present laptop tucked under one arm.

"Guys, I got something," he informed the two older men.

"Whatcha got Spikey?" Greg inquired.

Spike opened the silver laptop, and pulled up security tapes of the briefing room.

"We have their whole conversation recorded, except there's no audio. Can either of you read lips?"

Ed nodded in response, and motioned for Spike to start the tape.

"They're blackmailing her," Ed relayed to the other men.

"With what?" Greg wanted to know.

"Apparently, this has something to do with a mission they were sent on years ago in Kandahar. They have pictures,…..videos, of her in comprising positions. They also have similar videos of various teammates as well."

A moment of silence passed between the three men as they contemplated this.

"Should we tell them we know?" Spike wondered. Ed shook his head.

"Nah. Let's let them sweat a little first."

*In the room*

"Zion, you gotta tell them the truth," Sam insisted.

"No Sam! I won't let them be hurt!"

"You could lose your job over this," he reminded her.

"What other choice do I have?"

Sam sat back, frustrated. Zion had a point. If the videos and the pictures were released, the SRU's rep would forever be ruined. Tainted.

"I'm not just doing this for myself, you know. I'd do anything to protect them too," Zion spoke lowly. Comfortingly, Sam rubbed her arm.

"No matter the case, no matter what happens, I'm not gonna leave you. I'll stick by you forever," he reassured her. Zion sighed and nodded.

"Just….oh damn it all," she muttered with a healthy amount of frustration. "I just thought when we left Afghanistan behind, we were leaving it _behind_. _For good_. I never thought the _past would come back_. Probably a little naïve of me though," she revealed ruefully.

"I know. Secretly, I hoped the same. But nothing's ever that easy. Especially for us."

Zion rubbed her hands over her face.

"What're we gonna do now?" She wondered.

"We wait, and we see what the verdict is, who's handling this, etc," Sam confidently stated.

"I hate hiding this from them," she muttered.

Xxxxxxx

In a darkened warehouse that stank of decaying fish and rotting garbage, a young man pulled up an encrypted video, and grinned maliciously.

"For every action, there's a consequence. You fucked with the wrong people, and now you're gonna pay. You're gonna pay dearly, Zion Adamson," he swore, though no one was around to hear his oath.

He slid out a file and flipped it open, eyes scanning familiar information. The man had studied this particular file many times over, to the point where he could recite it from memory. Obsession was a dangerous thing, but nothing was safe where blood was shed.

His eyes, sable colored eyes, flicked over to the silver picture frame.

"I'll avenge you, I swear it," he breathed, gaze affixed on the age-worn photograph.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please keep reviewing and favoriting and following! Also, bonus points to anyone who caught the story reference. ? Kisses! ? ﾟﾘﾘ


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Another chapter!

If you haven't already, go check out the rest of my stories, especially _Memories Don't Have to Hurt_ and _Pretending to be Okay_ , if you wanna see more Sam and Zion! Keep reviewing, favoriting, and following!

Thanks for reading!

 _Two days before this all began..._

Sam chuckled as he recounted the call they'd gotten that day, blue eyes dancing with mirth. A man had called in a suspicious package on his doorstep, and they had shown up, only to find it was the laptop his wife ordered online. The guy had been extremely apologetic and embarrassed.

Zion grinned at Sam, pleased to hear him laugh. After Matt's death, she hadn't been sure he'd ever laugh again. A shudder ran through her at the thought of those dark days.

She raised her glass to her lips, only to find it was empty.

"Hey y'all, I'm gonna go step outside for a smoke, and get another drink," Zion informed the group at large.

"Smoking kills!" Ed shouted unnecessarily. Zion was well aware of the risks she took with each puff.

"Yeah, yeah" Zion retorted, rolling her eyes.

Xxx

Outside, a chill was in the air. She shivered, and pulled her leather jacket snug to her body. Frozen fingers fumbled in the pockets for the pack of cigarettes, and she grinned triumphantly when she found them. Ed sometimes liked to slip them out of her jacket when she wasn't looking.

Each time he did this, she groused about it, though it secretly warmed her heart. Ed genuinely cared, and they'd had many a serious discussion about her quitting. It hurt her stamina and made her life hell when she had a cough.

Matt had been the one who'd turned her on to smoking. Sam knew that the reason she continued the habit was because it kept his memory alive. She didn't necessarily have any real need or want for the cancer sticks, as Spike referred to them.

Unexpectedly, out of the blue, she heard a familiar voice. A voice that she hadn't heard in over four months. A voice that belonged to a dead man.

"Look, I'm trying okay? But they're smart, and I can't get too close without risking them seeing me," a man spoke into a flip phone.

Zion whirled around, and spotted him, under a streetlight.

"Matt!" She called. Matt lifted his head automatically, and froze like a deer in headlights.

He cursed, shut the phone, and ran the opposite direction. She gave chase, feet pounding on the sidewalk.

But Matt was a fast son of a bitch, and she lost him soon after. Frustrated and bewildered, she headed back towards the bar.

Sam was standing outside, brow furrowed.

"Where'd you go? You were out here a long time," Sam inquired. Zion shook her head.

"Decided to take a walk, is all," she revealed, giving him a half-hearted smile.

Sam could tell something had happened, seeing right through her excuse. But with Zion, it was better not to press, or she'd never say anything.

"Well then, let's go back inside," he urged, opening the door for her.

"Yeah."

Xxxx

"Hey I'm gonna get going," she announced, opening her wallet and pulling out some money.

"Yeah, I think I will too. You want a ride home Zion?" Wordy asked.

"No I'm fine, thank you," she politely declined.

"You should ride home with Wordy, you had three beers," Ed encouraged.

"Yeah, it'd really be no trouble," Wordy told her.

"Just drop it, okay? I'm fine. I just wanna be alone tonight," she muttered, making her way through the crowd and leaving.

"She's hiding something," Ed spoke.

"Yep," Sam sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep it up! Sorry for the delay, I've had a lot of stuff going on.

On with the story!

Xxxx

Greg gathered everyone in the briefing room, everyone sans Zion and Sam. They were on "administrative leave", at least until the whole situation was sorted out. It was obvious they were hiding something, but no one could figure out what that something was.

"You may not know this, but currently Sam and Zion are on administrative leave, effective immediately. They are both suspected of colluding with known terrorists, and are being investigated by the terrorist unit, for crimes of treason and perjury, at the very least.

As a result, Team One has been rendered inactive, and we will remain that way until this mess is sorted out. That's not all though. Spike?"

Spike pulled up the screen grab from the traffic camera.

"That is Matthew Washington, a man who served in JTF-2, and who was previously thought dead, up until two days ago. This is him outside the Goose. Spike, play the video."

This time, Spike brought up a video, showing Zion standing outside, smoking, and giving chase to Matt upon spotting him.

"So Matt's alive?" Wordy questioned incredulously.

"Yep," Greg confirmed.

"Does Sam know?"

"We don't believe so. Zion is protecting him, we think."

"As she always does," Wordy sighed.

"The reason they're not telling us what we want to know is because they believe they're protecting us," Ed informed the team.

"They are always their last priority," Lou chuckled, referring to Sam and Zion's continual selflessness.

"So what do we do now?" Spike ventured after a beat of silence.

"Now, we go home, spend time with our families, and try to see if Sam and Zion will reveal the truth."

Xxxxx

Zion leaned against the cold grave, tears slipping down her cheeks. In her unsteady hands she held a stack of pictures.

"Our life together," she murmured at a picture of her and Matt's intertwined hands.

Another picture, depicting her and Matt laughing together, joyful tears streaming from their eyes.

A third picture, one of her crying in Matt's arms. This one is intimate, special. Sam took it, Zion remembered.

She flipped it over and saw a phrase scribbled on the back.

 _forever_

That was her undoing. She dropped the pictures then, allowing them to fall to the ground. Harsh, wretched sobs burst from her, sounding as if they'd wrench her apart. She cried for all she'd lost and all she'd gained, for the sacrifices made and the prices paid.


End file.
